FORTY days – the same length of time that Noah crammed into his ark as the floods raged.

Like Noah’s animal companions, for a while it’s seemed that City’s team have been leaving two by two. Half of the line-up from Wembley are no longer in the building.

But the storm is being weathered. Evidence of that was the arrival of Dominic Poleon and Shay McCartan as City reconvened – so brighter times beckon again.

Forty days on from the bitterness of seeing their promotion ticket snatched away by Millwall, Stuart McCall and his squad were back on familiar soil.

The fitness tests on Thursday morning heralded another new beginning as pre-season dawned under the critical eye of the club’s medical staff.

After a summer of conjecture about his own position, McCall was pleased to be back doing what he does best; coaching, cajoling and encouraging the troops.

Last season may have finished three weeks later than most because of the play-offs but he could sense a group eager to embark on the next marathon.

McCall said: “It’s been long enough away, definitely. If they are anything like I was as a player, two weeks after the season and you get bored.

“Gone are the days when you used to have eight weeks off. I think 40 days is plenty. You go away for a holiday but then it’s thinking about football again. It’s what you do. You love being involved in the dressing room and in training and that buzz on a Saturday.

“It’s nice to have a break. You need it mentally and physically. But it’s come to a stage now where you’ve been away 40 days and the lads are desperate to get back in.

“The disappointment of last season will be forgotten about. You can’t be thinking back. Yes, take all the positives from the points we got and what we did but we need to look to improve in certain areas. That’s what our aim will be.”

After last summer’s reshuffle, the squad is evolving once more. Notable figures such as Rory McArdle, Stephen Darby and James Meredith – part of the frame work of the past five years – have moved on. Adam Chicksen, Paul Taylor, Poleon and McCartan have emerged.

But McCall’s approach will remain the same. Not for him the Howard Wilkinson-style “run, run and run again” training regime drilled into the legs in the early weeks.

He will stick to the tried and trusted methods of last season, encouraging short, sharp work with the ball at a good intensity. That is McCall’s mantra, whether they are working in July or April.

The City chief said: “The lads who were here last year will know what to expect – they’ll get a lot of ball work.

“Even though we thought we were reasonably fit last year, that comes down to how we approached each day in training.

“You obviously need a good pre-season don’t get me wrong. But most of the time we do stuff with a ball – although it’s at a tempo. That’s what I try to explain to the new ones who are coming in.

“Every day we want you at it. We want the tempo of the training to be high and that was what was so good last year.

“Even the lads that were out of the team were the same. At times it was the likes of Nathan Clarke, Filipe Morais, Rory McArdle and Darbs who were training at their maximum to be involved. That carries everyone through day on day.

“Everybody looks at it differently. Some people are really good trainers but when it comes to matches, they don’t turn up or whatever. Then you get other lads who are terrible during the week but come match day are brilliant.

“I remember Trevor Cherry saying ‘I don’t mind what you’re like during the week as long as you perform on Saturday’. You can see his point.

“But others would say that you can’t just turn it on and off like a tap, not bother through training and then suddenly expect to play well. We always try to set a standard day in, day out that keeps you at it.

“We like the lads to have a bit of fun but when we train, we train hard and perform to our maximum. That’s what keeps you fresh.

“You need a squad always pushing to get the best out of each other.”